Lightweight, ready-to-market solutions
Recent months have seen the launch of some special solutions for the new 26 mm necks by Sacmi. These solutions are already in use on several projects on four continents. Advantages include the ability to save material on each cap and on preform production lines while simultaneously helping the industry transition to the new tethered standard.
The waste hierarchy
Each year, the world produces 400 million tons of plastic. That amount is set to double over the next 20 years. Respected sources estimate that at least a third of the produced plastic will, at the end of the packaging life-cycle, end up in the environment. That’s why the market takes a 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) perspective, an approach guided both by increasing environmental awareness and strict new standards requiring manufacturers to use less virgin plastic.
“Reduce” is the main, most effective option available to the closures industry and has a dual goal: to shrink the industry’s environmental footprint and to develop more efficient, more competitive industrial processes.
The resin & design challenge
Sacmi has years of experience in overcoming the technological challenges associated with weight reduction. On the most common closure standards (e.g. PCO 1881 and 26 mm packages) this has led, over the last 10 years, to an average weight reduction of nearly 50%.
New CSD caps, 30.41 and 30.40 (26 mm)
The latest lightweight Sacmi caps for bottles up to 3 liters are well established on the market (e.g. 30.41 and 30.40 necks in combination with, respectively, a lightweight 1.65 g cap and the new 1.75 g cap).
These solutions have the advantage of cutting weight by up to 20% compared to a traditional PCO1881, without affecting cap performance like for instance seal and ease of opening which are non-negotiable features for brand owners.
Compared to previous packages, total neck/cap weight savings amount to 1.5 g. This means that a line producing 400 million bottles per year, saves an average of 600 tons of plastic every year. To cope with the market transition, Sacmi is proposing solutions for GME30.40 caps both in a tethered and untethered configuration. For the tethered field Sacmi offers the new Delta Hinged and This Cap Hold Open, a comprehensive proposal capable of meeting every market need.
From water trends to high-speed lines up to 38 mm (juices)
Light and ultra-light water closures have been enjoying considerable success for at least 10 years on world markets. They comprise a wide range of solutions that – especially on American and, more recently, African markets – can include caps weighing less than 1 g, or even less. As far as the juice market is concerned, Sacmi recently launched 38 mm lightweight designs that can also be moulded on the CCM24 and CCM48, thus covering the entire CCM range.These lines offer high output rates (up to 72,000 caps per hour with the 48-mould press, cycle time 2.4 seconds) a small footprint, and, in comparison to alternative technologies such as injection, a high level of performance.
Returnables, a new frontier also for HDPE
New EU policies are expected to increase the number of returnable bottles on the market (both glass and PET). These containers require that the cap be easily separated from the bottle, so the anti-tamper band must remain attached to the cap itself. Here too, Sacmi is ready with solutions that meet these needs.
